Contents

Memories and stories

Memory

My Mom and Dads second home. Purchase in July of 1960, my Mother was pregnant with me at the time. Significant alterations to the home my parents did were the removal of back kitchen stairs, and moving sink from hanging on wall behind dining room buffet, and removing cupboard space to accomodate the new sink in the corner of the kitchen. The upper cupboards were the same length as the cupboards on the opposite side of window. The lower cupboards included small drawers, flour and sugar bins that pulled out. My Parents also update to 100 amp electrical in 1975, and copper plumbing and a new bathroom in 1976. They replaced many windows, the wood frames had rotted, new shingles in 1966 after windstorm, and again in 1975. They built a bedroom in the basement for my oldest brother in 1966. The woodwork was all painted white, my Mother tried 3 times to remove it, but proved too hard for her to do with small children around, she did remove the paint from the kitchen and bathroom. Beautiful light Birch woodwork. They also added aluminum combination windows on the lower windows, the uppers had been done before they bought the house from the Velner family who had lived there since the 1940's. The Velners moved to St Louis Park, he was an Insurance Agent. Mrs Velner just passes away a few years ago, and was in her 90's My Parents sadly are both gone, Dad in 1990, Mom in 2011, They moved to Columbia Heights in 1976, and sold the house to Cliff and Meme Juhlke, he was a teacher at the old Central High School. I tried to leave some old toys, candles etc, in the attic, as a leftover from the old days. It was a great house, when my family lived there, the doors were only locked at night, and during the summer always wide open, and the windows also. The neighborhood was ruined in 1966 when 36th street was turned into an on ramp for 35w, the busy street made many move. Lake Street was also ruined by being cut off by the freeway, which my Parents and many neighbors tried in vain to get the City to put the on ramps on Lake st, not through a neighborhood! My Dad said they were basically told to mind their own business, and leave the thinking to the professionals. All 4 of us children went to Incarnation school and graduated from 8th grade. We could go home for lunch, go out the back door, down the alley, 37th to the alley behind Cleary Hall (Lake Country) to school, 2 times a day. The house at 116 west 36th st, was the Carriage house for the house just north of the duplex and 3546 Blaisdell. And the house on the east side of alley on 37th was the carriage house for the house just south of 3657 Blaisdell. When I was a child Harvey Beaudette told all the history of the neighborhood, he and his 2nd wife Mary lived at 3608 Blaisdell, I believe he was the first owner, and died in 1978. He was with the group of children who pulled the historic house on the grounds of Minnehaha falls to it's present location. My parents painted, carpeted, and we all loved the beauty of 115, and all have good memories of it. When I find some old pictures of it, I will post them.